Two Years after TC Gabrielle February 2023

It is two years since Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle passed across Norfolk Island in February 2023. This was the first time I had experienced the eye of a storm, which passed across our remote island as a Cat 2 storm. Norfolk Island had a few trees down and power outages, plus the Fisherman’s Hut at Phillip Island was demolished by the sea swells and winds. Boulders and rocks were thrown up at Cascade Pier again, as was seen in February 2022 during TC Dovi. Our family and friends in New Zealand were also in the path of this monster storm and heavy rain and wind cut off communities with roads washed away, power outages and landslips, with lives and livelihoods destroyed across the country as a State of Emergency was declared.

Here on Norfolk Island, a State of Emergency was declared for the Cyclone on 11 & 12 FEB 2023. The tropical Storm, TC Gabrielle, formed in the Coral Sea in Northern QLD area. The cyclone was predicted to track across Norfolk Island with the eye passing over our small island on Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 February 2023. On Friday the cyclone was Category 3, and the community were on cyclone alert awaiting the full force of the winds, swells, and rain. The forecast was for wind gusts up to 250km, and luckily the system was downgraded as it approached Norfolk Island as a Category 2 storm with wind gusts up to 155km.

The wind continued through the night, some gust recorded as 120km, but I’m sure the cliff edges would have been higher. As I tracked the storm on “Windy” the weather apt, the eye of the storm approached after 11pm and it was so strange to have the wind stop, and we could hear the night-time insects and the roar of the ocean swells on the shoreline in the distance. The barometer dropped to under 960, the lowest it could go on our old weather barometer. After midnight the wind and stormy weather returned, but the wind changed direction from NE to NW and eventually to SW. I think during the cyclone we had wind from every direction, so no-one was spared the wind gusts.

The day after the cyclone on Sunday there were still reports of power outages, trees down, and some roofs were damaged. I visited Cascade Pier to see the aftermath of the cyclone. There were boulders which had been thrown up from along the Cascade Pier coastal area onto the roadway and the entry onto the pier had been blocked with these big rocks, just as they had done the previous year during TC Dovi Cat 3 storm, which was the same date one year earlier. There were also roadway concrete slabs broken and washed up to the cliff edges.

The following days, Norfolk Island locals cleaned up Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle damage gardens and trees and I hoped that friends and family had not had too much damage. The few days later news was shared about the Fisherman’s Hut at Phillip Island. It was reported that “the Fisherman’s Hut at Phillip Island has also been damaged, blown to pieces, which just shows the strength of the storm.” Images on Facebook show “that the timber walls have been blown down and all the many years of great times at Phillip Island has been destroyed by TC Gabrielle.” A crowd funding has started to raise money to rebuild “Iconic Hut”. “Imagine the stories that can be told by those who have stayed there or those who built the hut. There will plenty of “dem do tell” stories to share.” Phillip Island is 6 or 7km south of Norfolk Island, which is the larger island looking out to sea from Kingston.

National State Emergency New Zealand - TC Gabrielle

The following are extracts from articles I wrote in February 2023. The clean-up in New Zealand from TC Gabrielle took many months and there are many still unable to return to their homes as properties were destroyed. I visited the area in April 2023 and many roads and bridges were still closed or were under repair. I found reading these news reports were very emotional and the images from New Zealand are reminders of the terrible damage to so many communities.

As Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle passed across Norfolk Island, the force of the winds and stormy weather was already impacting Northland in New Zealand and on Monday heavy rain and strong gale force winds tear the landscape apart, twisting powerlines, causing dangerous slips, knocking over trees, and raging rivers breaking bridges and river flood banks.

Now our thoughts and sadness are with our closest neighbour, New Zealand. The massive floods and storm damaged have destroyed homes, businesses, cut off communities and sadly there has been families who have lost loved ones, with deaths standing at 11 and many still missing, yet to be hopefully found or contacted.

The North Island has been devastated by TC Gabrielle. There has been damage from the top of the country and down the country along the east coast and terrible flooding and storm damage in the areas from the East Cape down into Hawkes Bay, which is my home. My family are safe, but my concerns remain as news reports still come in as rescues continue as families are slowly making contact after loss of power and communication. There has been major damage to water supplies, roads, many bridges washed away or broken, along with trainlines washed away.

The TC Gabrielle devastation in New Zealand news reports and images remind me of the massive floods in Australia in the past years. The storm weather warnings were given that this was a massive cyclone storm, and it sure came with a nasty punch and New Zealand was declared as a National State of Emergency as the storm hit on Tuesday 14 February 2023.

The sights on the news and social media this week was shocking, and personal stories from family and friends has made us feel hopeless being away as they live through the nightmare. It will take time to heal the damage, with the mammoth clean up and recovery. One thing I have noticed this week is the “meaning of community is real” and so many have started helping complete strangers in their time of need. Take care over there in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Two years has passed since TC Gabrielle left damage across New Zealand, and here on Norfolk Island we were so lucky the cyclone damage was minimal. The Fisherman’s hut at Phillip Island re-build started, thanks to the fundraiser and the generosity of many helping with the building and boating materials out to Phillip Island.

Here are a few photos from February 2023 and the damage and cleanup from the storm.

Betty Matthews

21 February 2025